cynicism at its finest
by demonskie
Summary: Molly's getting married after three seasons on Castanet, and her sister, Angela, finds herself on the island in order to attend the wedding. But upon seeing a particular resident's face, she finds it impossible to enjoy her time there, when all she can think about is her memories of the past.
1. Chapter 1: Violet Memories

_[[Note: There is swearing in this story! I don't think it's enough to make it an M, but if it should be M let me know._

_um. Just so you know. Never played Harvest Moon: Animal Parade... so... the characters will likely be out of character, and the geography will definitely be off _ I think I know enough about it from reading other fanfics to create a suitable one myself, though!_

_This story is Molly x Gill (well she's marrying him... so), and for Angela I haven't decided whether to make Angela x Chase endgame or Angela x Wizard. But both pairs will feature, so if you ship either of those ships, you might like this?_

_Hope you enjoy reading this story :)_

_edit: ah, thanks to the guest reviewer I realised I made a mistake whoops. But thank you for that! It has been edited :)]]_

* * *

Falling in love with the son of the mayor of Harmonica Town had not been in Molly's agenda.

At least, Angela hoped it hadn't been.

She scowled at the ocean in front of her, standing on the deck of the ferry that was set to take her to Castanet Island and her sister's wedding. _Gill is his name! _Molly had told her during calls. It had been the first time Molly had mentioned him to her. _He's ultra amazing, Angela, you'd really like him. I know you two would get along!_

That had been two seasons ago. Angela's sister had moved to the island three seasons ago. And now they were getting married. Angela had stared in complete and utter shock at her phone upon being told that _Angela! Gill and I are engaged! _by an extremely buoyant and excited Molly.

It wasn't that Angela condemned her sister for falling in love- No, in fact, that was exactly what it was. Angela had fallen in love once, too. That love had consequently fallen to pieces.

"We're almost there," called the cheery captain. His name was Pascal; he'd introduced himself to her as she'd boarded, as she'd been the only passenger. Not many visited this island, apparently.

"Thank you for letting me know." She had indeed spotted the outline of the island on the horizon. The smallest of smiles stretched her lips; she hadn't seen Molly for three whole seasons. She couldn't wait to see her fraternal twin again.

It took another ten minutes for them to arrive and set down in the port. A quaint little town was spread out before Angela, and she considered it critically before shrugging and walking down the board walk after thanking Pascal.

"Angela!" Molly's voice burst out at her, and she spun around to see her fair-haired sister racing towards her, and they collided in a hug. Angela dropped her luggage onto the ground.

"Oh, God!" Laughter burst out of the darker-haired twin, laughter that had not appeared for quite a while.

"It's so good to see you!" Molly beamed. They clutched each other for a few moments more until Angela caught sight of a pale haired boy with shockingly blue eyes.

She drew away from her sister, eyeing the boy suspiciously. Was this Gill? He certainly looked like the descriptions Molly had given her.

"Hello," he said softly with a smile. "It's nice to finally meet you, Angela. I'm Molly's fiancée, Gill."

"You're Gill?" She put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes, studying him. He stared back. He sure had guts.

"Angela, stop intimidating him." Molly laughed and shook her head. Angela smirked suddenly.

"Well, it's nice to meet you too, mayor boy. I'm just going to put it out there now - what kind of name is _Gill_? Did your father _want _you to be a fish?"

"Angela!" Molly threw up her hands in exasperation. "Angela, please."

To both their surprises, the pale-haired boy began to laugh. "It's quite all right, Molly. I originally felt the same, when I was old enough to understand the meaning of 'gill' and my classmates were old enough to tease me about it. But I realised it didn't really matter."

He put out his hand for her to shake, smiling faintly. "It's nice to be finally acquainted with you, Angela. Molly has spoken very highly about you."

"I should hope so." Angela eyed him some more, before shrugging. "It's nice to be acquainted with you as well, Gill. I approve, Molly." She shook his head, and somehow she found herself grinning at him.

Molly beamed. "I knew you would!" she exclaimed. She grabbed onto her sister's arm. "Let's go to the Brass Bar. I want to introduce you to everyone, and I want you to tell me all the gossip!"

She began to drag her sister - who had grimaced at the notion of having to meet many people - towards the centre of town. Gill followed obediently after them, carrying Angela's luggage.

"Molly? I'm kind of tired, so if I could just-," Angela faltered at the knowing expression on her twin's face.

"It'll be fine, Angela. _You'll_ be fine. I swear." Molly smiled, and Angela gave a relenting sigh.

"All right." She hated meeting new people in large groups. She had the fear that something would go terribly wrong at those meetings, like it had so many times before.

They reached what Angela assumed to be the Brass Bar. Gill pushed open the door, beckoning for them to go in first. Angela, forcing a smile, began took a step inside, turning to glance at her twin, who suddenly looked alarmed.

"Oh, shit, Angela, wait, there's something I need to tell you before-"

"Molly! And this is Angela?" A cheerful blonde came skipping over to them, her bright voice ringing out in the bar. Her straight hair was up in a ponytail, and she had forest-green eyes that seemed to sparkle. She stopped before them, grinning widely. "I'm Kathy. It's so nice to finally meet you; Molly has told me great things!"

"Oh." Angela offered the girl a weak smile. "That's good. Yes, I'm Angela. It's nice to meet you too." She shifted uncomfortably.

"Kathy, hold on a sec. Angela, look, so there's this-"

"Ah, sorry I'm late, Molly." A male voice spoke out behind them. "But I'm here, right?"

Angela began to turn, and Molly cried out, "Angela, wait, don't-!"

Too late.

The feeling of falling consumed Angela entirely, her heart suddenly kicking into a sprint as she shuddered. Her chest became so tight that it felt like her breaths had to claw their way through her throat. Familiar violet eyes studied her in surprise as she stumbled backwards, hitting the bar behind her. No, he couldn't be here, this wasn't right-

"Angela-"

Fuck. _Fuck. No, no, this wasn't happening, no no nononono_

"Angela, please! Please, it's not him. Angela, it's not him. Okay?" Molly grabbed her arms, steadying her, calming her. Angela took a deep shuddering breath, glancing up into her sister's eyes. The colour had always reminded her of a combination of coral and rust.

She took a breath again, and glanced up at the familiar face.

_It's not him. _A wave of immense relief crashed over Angela. _It's not him. They look so alike, though..._

"Do I know you?" The boy's violet eyes narrowed slightly at her, considering her.

"She's only just met you and doesn't like you, Chase. That has to be a new record." Kathy smirked and tossed her ponytail. "I'll admit, though, I like her taste."

"Kathy!" Molly exclaimed. "Chase, this is my sister Angela. Angela, this is Chase, one of my good friends."

"I'll repeat: Do I know you?" Angela stiffened at the way he'd simply brushed off Molly's words. She didn't appreciate it when people were rude to her sister.

She stared back at Chase, narrowing her own eyes, aware of the people staring at them. "No. No, you don't."

"Then why did you act like you were terrified?" Chase took a step forwards, his voice demanding.

"Chase, it doesn't matter, okay?" Molly smiled weakly. "So, drop it."

"It's all right, Molly." Angela drew herself up, allowing a cold feeling to wash over her. She adopted a cool smile. "You merely looked like someone I knew, is all."

"Must have been someone fairly traumatising, from the way you reacted," he answered.

"That's enough, Chase," Gill scolded. "Stop bothering her."

Angela tossed her hair behind her shoulders, still smiling coldly. "Perhaps their face combined with yours was merely too horrifying for me to handle."

"Angie!" Molly sounded horrified. "Chase! Stop it! You've only just met each other!"

"Well, I think it's funny," Kathy announced, smirking.

"W-Why don't we just pretend that the last five minutes never happened? Okay?" Molly said desperately.

"Of course," Angela said. She had every desire for that to happen. Chase glanced to his friend, clearly having no intention of doing such a thing. But Molly shot him a warning look, and he sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

And so they tried to forget that the previous few moments had occurred. Molly introduced her to everyone - something that she did _not _particularly enjoy - and told Angela about all that had happened since her arrival on the island. She'd been so happy, Molly told her, even more happy than she'd expected. She loved everything about this place. And she didn't want to leave.

Angela listened to all of this with the slightest of smiles on her face. That was all she had ever wanted: her sister to be happy. Well, that and something else, but that something else didn't matter any more.

"You girls want anything to drink?" A large, muscular man with a beard smiled at them; the bartender.

"No, thank you Hayden. By the way, I really appreciate you letting us use the Bar so early in the day. I know you don't usually open until four, so-"

"It's all right." The man, Hayden, waved a hand, a smile on his face. "You've really helped us out, Molly. It's the least that I could do."

Angela couldn't help but feel the oddest of pangs in her chest at this. Molly was really loved, then. No wonder she had no desire to leave. Angela only hoped that one day people would feel the same about her."

"Ah, there's one more person I really want you to meet, Angie." Molly stood, grinning at her sister, who smiled reluctantly back. "Two people, in fact. But don't worry, they're really nice. Or... one of them is. I promise you'll like them."

"A-All right, then. If it makes you happy." Angela smiled back, but a tiny bit of dread pushed its way into her heart. _More _people? "What about my luggage?"

"Gill will take it for you. He's such a gentleman!" Molly giggled.

"And who said that chivalry's dead?" They laughed together, and finally left the bar, with Molly waving and saying her goodbyes. Angela only muttered them; she hardly knew these people, after all. And suddenly she just wanted to go to bed.

Molly led her through the town and on for quite a while. Angela's feet were beginning to ache as they passed her sister's farm ("There's my animals! My pets take care of them for me, they're such darlings,") and ached even more when they arrived at the forest.

"Somebody lives in here?" she asked, eyeing her sister suspiciously. Molly nodded, giggling a little.

"This is Fugue Forest. Trust me, you'll like them. But... I think we'll visit them later. They're not the nicest of people to meet on your first day!" Molly grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the forest. Angela stared in wonder at all the life as they went; animals and plants of all kinds surrounded them. She'd always loved nature, despite everything.

They headed back towards the town, and arrived at a small house that gave Angela an odd feeling. Molly stepped forwards, knocking on the door. "Wizard? Are you there?"

It took a moment, but the door opened. With Molly blocking the doorway, Angela could only see the top of the stranger's head. Their hair was shockingly silver. Was it natural to have that colour? He was probably quite old, she guessed. Old, but quite tall.

"Of course, Molly." Yet, they didn't sound old?

"I'd like you to meet someone." Molly stepped back and to the side, smiling. "This is my sister, Angela."

She's been wrong.

A _young_ man glanced at her, his tanned skin contrasting with his hair and his wondrously bright eyes. _The contrast draws attention to the eyes,_ her old art teacher would have said. _A technique many artists use._

"It's nice to meet you," she said, her mouth moving automatically. He was awfully pretty, his mismatched eyes only complimenting his other facial features. He certainly looked like a person from a painting. Surely no one could have hair like that, eyes like that, and a tattoo underneath their right eye that _shimmered?_

"It's... nice to meet you... too..." The man cleared his throat. "I'm... Wizard."

"Wizard?" Angela studied him carefully. "That's your name?"

"He refuses to tell me his real one," Molly said cheerfully. "But I'm all right with that. Wizard holds a certain mystique, doesn't it?"

Angela rolled her eyes and 'Wizard' chuckled lightly. It reminded Angela of chimes tinkling in the wind.

"And, he's a fortune teller! Isn't that awesome, Angela?"

"About as awesome as one that scams others out of their money." Her opinion of this man had suddenly dropped; as if he was _truly_ a fortune teller.

Molly sighed. "I knew you'd be sceptical. Well, doesn't matter. It was good seeing you, Wizard."

"You too... Molly." He smiled at Angela, too. "You may not... believe me... but that's all right... I hope you like it here... Angela..."

"Thanks," she muttered.

Suddenly, she just wanted to go home. Maybe Molly wouldn't mind moving their wedding there...

"Again, I'll introduce you to the other person later. She's a bit of a spitfire, so I don't think you'd like to meet her right now. You look dead on your feet." Molly slung an arm around Angela's shoulders. Angela smirked.

"I _feel_ dead on my feet. Thanks to you lugging me around all day."

Molly giggled. "You're welcome. You needed the exercise."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Angela demanded, hitting her sister softly in the arm. Molly giggled again.

"Would you like to stay at mine? Your other option is the Ocarina Inn, of course."

"Does Gill not live with you?" The idea of staying with them in the same house made Angela uncomfortable. Mostly because she could imagine what they did at night. Also, the idea of sharing a home with two people in love...

"Oh, he does. Are you worried about that?"

"I wouldn't want to intrude... I think I'll just stay at the Inn, for now." Angela smiled at her sister. "I did bring money, you know."

"Well, of course! I wouldn't expect anything less from a famous artist." Molly winked. Angela rolled her eyes.

"I write books, Molly-"

"Writing is an art!" her sister insisted. She grinned. "So, technically, my term was correct."

"Actually-"

"Okay, moving on!" Molly pushed Angela forwards slightly, and before she could retaliate the paler-haired girl pointed towards a building nearby. "See that building there? That's the Inn. I'll help you get checked in!"

They slipped into the building, with Molly calling out to the receptionist happily. By this time, Angela wasn't really surprised; Molly knew _everyone._

"Jake! This is my sister, Angela. She'll be staying with you for a while." They headed over to the older man standing behind the desk. He smiled.

"Of course. How long will you be staying for?" he asked. "And I'm assuming it's a room for one?"

"That's correct. And... for now, put me down for a week." Angela smiled lightly at the man, who nodded. Molly's wedding was on Saturday, and it was currently Monday, which meant she'd be leaving soon after the wedding. She hoped Molly wouldn't mind.

"That's 700G. Would you like to make the payment now?"

Angela blinked. "Does the price include all accommodations?"

"You mean breakfast and such? Yes, of course."

Angela couldn't help but think it was awfully cheap. She turned to glance at her sister, but Molly was chatting to a young blonde girl. Angela briefly remembered meeting her at the Brass Bar.

Shrugging, she turned back to Jake. "All right." She fished out an 1,000G note from her pockets. "Um, you can keep the change."

Jake's eyebrows rose. "Are you sure?"

"Quite." She smiled again.

"Well, all right. Here are your keys and your receipt. If you need anything, just call." He gave her a wave as she returned to Molly's side.

"Are you done?" her sister asked. Angela nodded, glancing at the girl. What was her name? It began with an N, didn't it?

"Hi!" the girl said cheerfully. "We met at the Brass Bar! I'm Maya, just in case you didn't remember. That's my dad you were talking to just there. My parents own this Inn. It's quite nice, isn't it?"

Ah, the cheerful, talkative kind. Angela formed an awkward smile. N, M... she had been close enough.

"Yes, it is. I'm sorry, I'll be heading up to my room. I'm quite tired from my ferry journey-"

"Of course." Molly nodded, her eyes shining. "It was really good to see you, sis. Three seasons is far too long."

"Agreed." They hugged (well, Molly put her arms around Angela, whom patted her sister's back awkwardly). "Hold on, where's my luggage?"

Molly's eyes went wide. "Oh, shit, Gill probably still has it! I'm really sorry, Angela. How about you just go to your room, and I'll go get your things." She smiled, a somewhat fond, distant smile upon her face. "Gill won't mind..."

"Ah, thank you, Molly." Angela scratched her neck absently. "I'll... just head up, then."

God, she felt uncomfortable. Was she supposed to feel this awkward around her sister? No, it was probably just Angela... again...

She fled to her room, inserting the key quickly before collapsing onto her bed. What a tiring day. She hadn't even done anything worth getting tired over, but the sight of... _him _had just given her mental exhaustion.

She didn't want to see his face again. Chase, was his name. He seemed all right, himself, but she wouldn't be able to stand looking at him without being reminded of the other boy. She refused to mention his name, but it lingered in the back of her mind.

She curled into her side and tried not to remember him.

God, did she wish she couldn't remember him.

* * *

_[[haha... so since I've never played HM:AP I don't know what any of the character's houses look like. So... I'm going to either make stuff up or avoid mentioning it at all._

_Hope enjoyed the first chapter! I didn't mean for it to get so long... D:]]_


	2. Chapter 2: Conscience of Stars

_[[I have been informed that it is, in fact, Selena and not Serena. Whoops. (Honestly, I really should have known that). Thank you for letting me know!]]_

Angela woke from her dreams of violet flowers and pale stars with a start.

It took her a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness and the vague, unfamiliar shapes. That was right; she was in Castanet to attend Molly's wedding.

Blearily, she rubbed at her eyes and slowly turned over in her bed to look at the clock. Three in the morning; what a terrible time to wake at. But she had gone to bed early, and hadn't woken up until now. Which meant she was quite hungry.

But she doubted there was anywhere open at this time of night. She flipped on the beside lamp (wincing at the brightness) and glanced around her room. She spotted her luggage standing by the door; Molly must have slipped in at some point. Angela guessed that the man from before, Jake, must have let her in.

Pulling herself out of bed, she lumbered to the suitcase, dragging a hand through her messy hair. She'd brought some snacks with her, perhaps she could just eat some of those...

After consuming a chocolate bar and an apple, she no longer felt tired but utterly awake_. _Barely any time had passed since she'd looked at the clock, and she didn't like the idea of climbing into bed and attempting to sleep but not being able to. It had happened before.

So she changed her clothes from the wrinkled ones she'd been sleeping in, and left the Inn to go wander in the cool night air.

It probably wasn't a good idea to go wandering during the night in a town she'd never been to. But she didn't have anything else to do, and anyway, her sense of direction was near flawless. She loved the stars, too. And the sea.

There was no one else out as she made her way down to the beach, her footsteps quiet yet somehow loud in the silence of the night. The sound of the waves soon reached her ears, prompting her to smile. They'd lived near a beach when they had been younger. Sometimes, Angela missed those days. Sometimes, she was glad they were gone.

A figure formed out of the darkness, and she stopped abruptly at the edge of the sand. Someone stood on the beach, staring out to the sea. It took her a moment to recognise the silvery-white hair of 'Wizard'.

"Couldn't sleep?" His voice startled her, despite the fact that it was a quiet voice, almost fading against the rush of the ocean.

"Didn't want to," she answered, finally able to make her feet move. She went and stood beside him (though left quite a large gap in between them), gazing out at the dark water in front of her.

"Why... not?"

"I suppose I just felt awake." Angela turned to glance at the man beside her, once again startled by the lovely features of his face. From her spot on his left, she couldn't see his tattoo nor his golden eye; only his bright green one was visible to her, as well as the plait that rested upon his shoulder.

"I see..." He too, finally turned to look back at her. Suddenly, Angela felt unnerved; this man seemed so _otherworldly_, like he didn't belong in this town, like he didn't belong _here_, on Earth. It was ridiculous, but Angela swore she could feel a powerful aura radiating from him, telling her that he was different. Also, he was awfully handsome.

"What are you doing out here, at this time in the morning?" she asked, admittedly quite curious.

"I enjoy... the quiet... and... being able to look... at the stars..." He smiled softly, turning back to gaze at the sky.

"I understand perfectly." The stars were always beautiful. She hated the nights when she couldn't see them. She always slept terribly at those times.

A silence fell between the two after her words faded away. Surprisingly, it was not uncomfortable; looking at the stars and being able to share the experience made it all all right.

Finally, Wizard turned to glance at her again. "Are you... not tired?"

"Not tonight." Angela gave him the smallest of smiles. She liked this man's company; his solemn nature made it easy to bear him; he wasn't overly chatty and didn't try to pry into her life; he was _comfortable_, and that was what mattered the most to her. "I went to bed quite early."

"I see." He brushed away the hair that fell into his eyes, before glancing at Angela. "Would... you like to... sit and watch... the stars... with me?"

"...I would like that." She smiled more warmly at him, and together they sat onto the soft, cool sand. "Might I ask, Wizard... are you truly a fortune teller?"

"Would you... believe me if... I said I was?"

"Only if you showed me." She studied his features: smooth, tanned skin; heterochromatic eyes; pale, shimmering hair; angular cheekbones; a white tattoo hidden under his hair. He really was quite beautiful, she thought vaguely. And that aura of mysteriousness about him - yes, she could imagine him as a fortune teller, perhaps even a real one, regardless of how she scorned the possibility of magic.

"If... I am honest... I am not truly... a fortune teller..." He seemed to study her as well. Angela's feelings were mixed as she took in his words.

"You-You're not scamming the villagers, are you?" she asked. Wizard most certainly didn't strike her as that kind of person.

"No... I can... tell your fortune... but... that is not... my profession." He leaned back in the sand, lying down so that he was facing the sky. "I'll... tell you more... another time perhaps..."

"I see. And you don't have to tell me. If you don't want to, I mean." She lay down beside him, her fingers tracing patterns in the sand. She stared up at the shining white specks in the midnight sky. "I might not believe you anyway. I'm not the most... open-minded of people."

"I don't know... if I believe that..."

She smiled up at the sky. "I'll take that as a compliment." They said nothing more, and simply stared at the sky until it was morning and the stars were gone.

* * *

When Angela returned to the Inn at six in the morning (Jake and who she presumed to be his wife had given her a surprised look) she took a long shower. Sand had managed to get into her clothes, irritating her skin. She made sure to wash it all off and as she stepped out, thought about Wizard, the not-a-fortune-teller.

He certainly was a mysterious one. It didn't matter, though; she was only going to be here a week. That was most certainly not enough time to crack a person's shell and learn their secrets. Not that Angela wanted to anyway.

She was had just pulled on her clothes and was drying her hair in the towel when a knock came at her door. Pausing, she set down her towel and glanced curiously at the door. Molly, most likely.

Sure enough, her sister's voice came through the door: "Angela! It's me. Let me in!"

Angela smiled, opening the door wide to Molly's bright face. "Hi! It's good to see you're up. Can I come in?"

"Of course." Angela stepped aside and Molly stepped in quickly.

"Ah, I see you saw the suitcase. I hope you don't mind - you weren't answering when I knocked, so I asked Jake for a key and he let me in."

"I don't mind. I appreciate it, in fact." She sat down on the bed and patted the spot beside her. "Come sit beside me!"

Giggling, Molly plopped down on the bed. "So. I hear from Jake and Colleen that you came into the Inn pretty early this morning? What was all that about?"

"Oh, nothing really. I woke up quite early and couldn't get back to sleep, so I went for a walk." _I also saw the Wizard and we spent three hours stargazing. _Not that she'd tell her sister that.

"You-You weren't having your nightmares... were you?" Anxiousness decorated Molly's face, but Angela just smiled.

"No. I haven't had those in quite a while."

Molly visibly relaxed, her whole frame dipping. "That's good! Hey, how would you like to come out with me today? I'm guessing you haven't had breakfast, and I need to go to Marimba Farm to stock up on a few things. We can take a look around the Forest, too, if you'd like."

Angela thought about this offer for a moment. She loved nature, but she'd never liked long walks or hikes, unlike Molly. But she felt restless, and Castanet had so far proved to be beautiful. "All right," she said. She flashed Molly a smile. "It sounds good to me."

"That's great!" Molly jumped up, grinning. "Luckily, I have free time today. Gill's such a darling; he said he'd do the farm work for me so that I could have time with you!"

Angela raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't he have some desk job? That's what you told me, right? What experience does he have in farm work?"

Molly giggled. "Oh, I made him work on my farm for a while before we started dating. That's how we got to know each other. He accidentally broke something of mine, and to pay it off, I made him work on the farm."

Angela burst out laughing. "No? Seriously? Oh, good God, I feel for the boy. I imagine you were quite furious."

"I was!" Molly flung her arms in the air. "I don't know if I told you, but at the beginning I thought he was a snide, rude, spoilt brat-"

"_Was_?" Angela asked, but Molly ignored her good-naturedly.

"-and so I didn't like him, even though I thought he was really cute. So when he smashed my hockey and badminton trophies-"

"_What?_"

"-I made him work for it! And, if I'm honest, I'm glad I did." Molly smiled shyly. "Otherwise, I might not have gotten to know him."

"Wait, he smashed your Championship trophies? How did _that_ happen?" Angela could imagine the blonde accidentally bumping into Molly's shelves and knocking the gold statuettes over.

"I'll tell you on the way to breakfast!" They linked arms and left the room, the door automatically locking behind them. "So, Gill came over to tell me my week's earnings, while making some snide remarks about my income. I got pretty cross, as you can imagine, and basically told him to fuck off. But, you know, more rudely than that."

Angela couldn't help the giggle the came from her mouth as they walked down the corridor. "Did he get mad?"

"No. He just laughed, and when he turned to go he knocked over my hockey trophy. When he tried to save it, he accidentally knocked over my badminton one too! It was hilarious, seeing him flailing and going bright red with embarrassment and horror!"

Angela was laughing outright now, along with Molly, and so when they came into the Inn's lobby the two owners shot them curious looks. There were two other people there; a blonde man wearing a brown jacket and a brown cowboy hat, and a curvy, red-haired lady. The woman raised an eyebrow as they passed.

"Good morning Calvin. Hello, Selena." Molly grinned at the man, but nodded curtly to the lady, Selena.

"Indeed it is," Calvin answered, while Selena only smile tightly in response. Angela found herself looking curiously at the red-head, but soon they were out the door.

"Ugh." Molly shuddered.

"What's wrong? Did something occur between you two girls?" Angela shot a questioning look at her twin, who sighed.

"Oh, it's nothing too terrible. We've just had a few disagreements, that's all." Molly shrugged. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. For breakfast, well, I hope you don't mind, but we'll be going to the Fishery. Which serves-"

"Fish. I figured," Angela said wryly. "It's perfectly all right. Just an interesting choice for breakfast, no?"

"Don't worry, you'll love it." Molly winked, and they walked towards the pier. Molly began talking about her farm; what animals she had, how they acted, which ones were the most trouble, and how she loved them. Angela listened to this all with a smile on her face. Her sister had finally found her calling, and that was incredibly important to Angela.

They arrived at the Fishery, where Molly introduced her to Ozzie, Paolo, and Toby (they were all quite kind to her, and she found herself smiling) and they ordered a breakfast of seafood (Angela had frowned at the shark fin soup on the menu). She found herself liking the clam soup the most, and when they stood to leave, Angela promised she'd visit again before she left.

"So, how are the wedding preparations going? Do you need any input from me?" They were walking towards Marimba Farm now, according to Molly. Angela had realised she didn't know anything about the wedding.

"Oh, they're going great! And yes, I most certainly do. I think I _need _input from you." Molly grinned at her sister, and Angela smirked back.

"My opinion is too great, am I right?"

"Oh, yes." Molly giggled. "Well, as you saw on the wedding invitation, the wedding's on Saturday. It starts at twelve, but obviously I have to get ready." She smiled, her face a picture of pure happiness. Angela felt an aching in her heart; she was happy for her sister, but at the same time she was jealous. Molly had everything; Angela didn't. Not yet, at least, she hoped.

"Tomorrow, we'll go to Sonata Tailoring and get you a bridesmaid dress. Unless you've already got one?" Molly asked, alarmed.

Angela shook her head, smiling. "I thought you ought to have an input."

"Oh! Really? But it's your dress..."

"But it's your wedding." Angela rolled her eyes. "Nothing would make me happier, anyway."

"All right!" Molly beamed. "Tomorrow, then. Unless you'd like to go today?"

"I guess... if we have time, we can go?" They were no longer in Harmonica Town now, but for some reason Angela could smell an incredibly nice scent, like someone was cooking.

"Okay! But first, to Marimba. I promise, the people there are really nice. Well, Craig was a bit moody at first, but he's warmed up."

"Of course. By the way, who's catering for your wedding?" The smell of cooked food had reminded her. Angela glanced around; there was a house nearby. She guessed that was where it was coming from.

"Oh-"

"I am." A voice rang out in the morning air, and Angela raised her gaze to see the boy, Chase, sitting on the roof of the house. She flinched automatically upon meeting his gaze. _God, they look alike._

"That's right," Molly said, uncertainly. "Chase is catering. He's a really good cook."

"That I am." Chase's words were paired with the smirk on his face.

"Should you really be sitting up there?" Angela couldn't help the cold touch that coated her words.

"It's my house; I don't think anyone else cares."

"I do," Molly huffed. She folded her arms. "Don't you remember that time you fell off?"

"That was your fault." Chase pointed a finger at the pale-haired girl. "I can't believe you thought it was a good time to tell me that you and Gill were getting married. I was on the roof, for fuck's sake."

"I can't believe you thought it was so shocking." Molly glared at her friend. Angela really didn't understand what her sister saw in this boy to make her actually _like _him. He certainly seemed quite rude. But Angela was likely biased.

"You'd only been dating _two _seasons. _Two._ That's not long enough to get married!"

"In _your _opinion," Angela interrupted. She gave him the coldest stare possible. She may have been slightly biased, but she also knew she just didn't like this man. "Shall we go, Molly?"

"I think that's a good idea. By the way, Chase, I'd watch your cooking!" Molly pointed to the house, and Chase rolled his eyes. Angela looked away as he said, "I think I'd know if I needed to check on it."

"Keep telling yourself that," Angela muttered, and Molly grinned in response.

"See you later, Chasey!" she called.

"Don't call me that!" he yelled back. Molly giggled as they made their way to the farm, but then abruptly stopped after glancing at Angela.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry Angie. I know that couldn't have been comfortable for you..."

"It's fine. You were right yesterday; he's not him. I'll get over his face." Angela smiled tightly. "Though I'll admit he's rather rude; what do you see in him?"

"He's _sarcastic_," Molly corrected, with a small smile. "It's actually quite endearing."

Angela rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "If you say so." She thought about the boy that Chase looked so much like; he'd never been a sarcastic one. Angela was thankful that Chase was, despite everything; it made it easier to separate them.

She still hurt, when she thought of him. He was gone, thanks to another man who he'd loved like a brother. Angela had trusted that man, too. She shouldn't have.

The problem was that their faces were so similar; she couldn't think about the one she'd loved without thinking about the one who'd killed him. And she knew if she thought about the latter she would fall to pieces. And that was something she'd vowed she wouldn't do. She swore it on the stars.

Every night, she looked at them and thanked them that she'd made it another day. Last night, she'd looked at them with a man who'd seemed like a star himself; beautiful and bright and so distant. Mysterious. _I can tell your fortune,_ she remembered, _but that is not my profession._

Perhaps he was the humanoid form of the stars, one sent to make sure she upheld her vow after she met Chase.

She wasn't sure what she would prefer; a conscience that she didn't want, or dark memories pushing at a fragile boundary.

Neither was preferable.


	3. Chapter 3: Inconceivable Emotions

_[[Sorry for taking so long to update! Unfortunately, I'm not one of those "often-filled-with-inspiration" people... In fact more often than not I don't have inspiration. D:_

_but hnng, anyway. So thank you to Doctor Zhivago, Ulyss, and tolkienlover for following/liking so far~! I appreciate it, especially the feedback you've given (thanks for letting me know about Selena, tolkienlover :'D I'll try to tone down the swearing, I think, but sometimes I believe the passion is required haha). Also, thank you to the guest who let me know the Wizard's house is in fact in Harmonica Town. Not the Fugue Forest. Probably should have known that._

_Why are Molly and Angela so different, you ask, Ulyss? Well, they were partly born that way (if you believe in nature instead of nurture) but also something... occurred... to Angela and not to Molly, which changed Angela's character a little more._

_Anyway, here we go, Chapter Three. Do you guys want to see anything from Molly's point of view? I'll probably include other people's povs but not that often. But making Molly's point of view regular is something I am considering...]]_

* * *

The voices were familiar to Angela, as familiar as the shape of her fingers.

Molly and Angela raised an eyebrow at each other in the dense Fugue Forest, where they had ventured after visiting Marimba. Molly had wanted to introduce her to the other person, the one she hadn't met yesterday. So they'd come here, and upon venturing into the forest had heard two voices, one speaking more loudly than the other.

"I am _not_ giving it back," one person snarled. Their voice was feminine, so Angela assumed that they were a girl. The other person spoke too lowly for Angela to hear their words clearly, but the accent was enough to help Angela realise that it was Wizard.

The girl, though. Angela knew she'd heard that voice before.

Molly winced beside her. "Oh, Vivi..." she sighed. She flashed Angela a smile. "That girl that you're hearing; that's the one I wanted to introduce you to. I don't know if this is a good time though..."

"It's all right." Angela wanted to know. Perhaps she could be enlightened on whose voice it actually was. "Is that... Wizard responding?"

"You recognise his voice?" Molly looked quite surprised, her eyebrows raising, and Angela remembered that Molly thought they'd only met that one time the previous day.

She was spared from answering, however, when an object came shooting towards them from the location of the voices. Angela jerked back as the object landed on the grass and picked it up. With raised eyebrows, she bent and picked up the object, turning it over in her fingers, rather amused. A mushroom?

"Hey! That's mine!" A girl's voice shrieked, and Angela turned to see a pale-haired girl with shocking amber eyes glaring at her.

"Witch?" In complete and utter shock, Angela dropped the mushroom as Wizard emerged from behind the girl, looking faintly exasperated. Both his and Molly's expressions morph into something like surprise and puzzlement.

"Angela?" Witch crossed her arms, looking as shocked as Angela did. Blood rushed in Angela's ears; was that really her?

"Oh, my God." Angela shook her head. "I didn't know you lived here."

"I should hope not!" Witch rolled her eyes. "I'd be really surprised if you did."

"You two know each other?" Molly asked with raised eyebrows. A barrage of memories assaulted Angela, and she took a moment before responding.

"Yeah. Years ago, before you came to the Island, I was really good friends with Witch's cousin." Angela studied Witch, who had her eyes narrowed, examining Angela back. "When Witch came for a visit, we became friends too. But we haven't seen each other in years-"

"And whose fault is that?" Witch tossed her hair and huffed indignantly. "You got so caught up with that _boyfriend_ of yours and never bothered to call me after I left!"

Both Molly and Angela said nothing. The other two in the clearing seemed to notice something amiss. "What?" Witch asked cautiously, while Wizard narrowed his eyes slightly.

Angela felt like she was choking. The words had to scrape their way up her throat, and so she spoke quietly when she answered. "It's nothing. Just... he's not in the picture any more."

"You two broke up?" Witch looked surprised, but appeared even more puzzled when one sister winced and the other flinched.

"Not... exactly..." Angela shuffled her feet. She didn't want to talk about it. But she knew she owed Witch an explanation. "He... died."

The abrupt silence was overwhelming, and utterly suffocating. "_What_?" Witch finally said, incredulous. "What'd he do, drown himself?"

"Vivi!" Molly scolded, and Witch huffed.

"Vivi?" Angela questioned, hoping to change the subject.

"That's my real name. Which I'd like you to not tell anyone else, thanks Molly." Witch - or Vivi - glared at Molly, who offered a weak smile in return.

Nothing more was said on the subject. But Angela didn't fail to notice the unwavering, searching gaze that Wizard set upon her. It was hard to read, that expression, but Angela knew it meant that he wouldn't forget. From what she knew about his character so far, though, she figured he was too polite to bring it up again.

"I'll still call you Witch," Angela announced, before the glittering object from before caught her eye again. She picked it up from the ground, and, sensing Witch's hot half-glare, held it out towards the girl. "Here," she said, with a smile. "This is my apology for not keeping in touch."

Witch huffed again (how many times was that now?) but trudged forwards and accepted the gift. Angela shot Wizard a shrug, but he merely smiled in return, clearly not caring all that much.

"Apology accepted," Witch announced. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and shot Angela a fiery grin. "See you later, A."

Angela raised her hand in a half wave as Witch strode away from them, disappearing in the trees. "Still the same as ever," she said, when the girl was out of sight.

"Indeed." Wizard brushed silvery hair out of his eyes and gave them a smile. It was rather dazzling, and Angela took a moment as Molly giggled.

"I don't think she'll ever change. Not that I want her to." She dug around in her bag and both Wizard and Angela glanced at her as she brought something out; Angela wore a puzzled expression, and Wizard an expecting one.

"Again...?" he asked, his smile growing. "Honestly... you know... you don't need... to... Molly..."

"I want to," the twin said firmly, and tossed him the packet. He stepped closer to catch it, and Angela caught an image of coffee beans on the front.

Coffee?

"I... really appreciate... it... Thank you..." He stuffed the bag in the pocket of his jacket (the same one he'd been wearing that morning).

"You always help me out, Wizard. It's the least I can do!" Molly beamed. "I think we'll be going, then. Are you heading back into town too? Would you like to walk with us?"

Angela wasn't sure what to think about this offer as Wizard paused, contemplating. Finally, he nodded. "I suppose... it couldn't hurt..."

With mixed feelings, Angela walked on the left of Molly, and Wizard was on the right. She hadn't told Molly she'd seen Wizard this morning... and that they'd spent three hours on a beach...

Oh, God, when she put it that way, it sure sounded like they'd been on a date.

Which was ridiculous, considering they'd only known each other for, what, a day?

"Angela!" Molly said, with a grin. The other twin blinked and turned to glance at Molly, trying to ignore the Wizard's coloured gaze on her other side. "Did I tell you? Wizard helped me get with Gill!"

It took Angela a moment to process this. "Seriously?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Now she couldn't avoid the pale-haired man's gaze, and she glanced at him. "You don't seem like the type."

"Oh, he is, trust me." Molly slung an arm through Wizard's and grinned again, this time the smile more mischievous than before. Again, Angela recalled Wizard's words: _I can tell your fortune,_ _but that is not my profession._

_What is it, then?_ she wondered, flicking her gaze to him. He smiled as if he, too, knew her thoughts. Perhaps that was part of his 'profession'?

_There you go, Angela, acting like he's got super powers, or something. It's just not possible._ Angela smiled tentatively back. Molly was still talking in between them, not noticing the locked look.

"-I just didn't know what to get Gill for his birthday! I was panicking so much, and then Wizard came around and saw me pacing back and forth! When he asked me what was wrong, I told him I had no idea what Gill wanted, and then he said he could find out for me." Molly grinned. "Thanks for that, by the way."

"You're... welcome." Wizard's gaze shifted back to Molly, and Angela felt something like relief. "I was... happy to help... a friend..."

Molly giggled. "I'm glad you're my friend," she said, patting his arm. She then proceeded to glance at Angela, an eyebrow raised. "Are you two friends yet?"

Angela blinked. "What?"

Molly rolled her eyes. "Please. As if I haven't noticed the stares. I just hope it was _wow, he's really nice,_ and not, _wow, I would like to-_"

"Okay, that's enough!" A blush was threatening to erupt on Angela's face. She refused to look at Wizard as she shoved her sister lightly. "I don't need to hear any more."

Molly winked. She leaned in, and whispered, "He's pretty hot though, isn't he?"

"Molly!" Angela shook her head in exasperation. "You've got a fiancé, remember?"

"Just because he looks nice doesn't mean I'd want to-"

"Molly!"

This time it was not Angela who called out, but another person. A boy with dark blue hair (_blue_ hair?) and a bandana came towards them, cheerily carrying an axe on his shoulder. Angela's eyebrows raised; he seemed like the kind of goofy, oblivious-to-everything boy that Angela never really liked nor disliked. The expression on his face confirmed it.

Though, it wouldn't be the first time she had judged a person incorrectly, if she were wrong.

"Hi, Luke!" Molly smiled and waved to the boy, who waved back, causing the axe to waver unsteadily on his shoulder, and also causing alarm to enter Angela's features. It looked like it was about to drop and split his leg open. She shuddered at the though.

Her sister skipped ahead to meet the blue-haired boy. Luke dropped his axe (thankfully not down his leg) onto the forest floor, leaning on the hand with a grin. They began to chat animatedly, hand gestures and excited words prevailing the sound of birds and cicadas.

"Who's that?" Angela asked, not to anyone in particular. But Wizard was there, and so he answered instead.

"That boy... is Luke... He's the carpenter's... apprentice... Always comes to the Forest... for lumber..." Wizard shuffled uncomfortably on his feet, also watching the pair's conversation. Angela took the chance to study the man. He _was _pretty hot, wasn't he, like Molly said? Not that it mattered, anyway. But she could appreciate the slim length of his body, the glimmering, pale hair, and the perfect planes of his face.

His gaze swung to hers, and it took all she had to not blush. She smiled tentatively at him. "Are we friends?" she ventured. Normally, she wouldn't care about this kind of thing, but with Wizard...

If she let him go, she'd be even more of an idiot than she already was.

Wizard dipped his head slightly. "If you... like..."

He looked so serious and formal that Angela couldn't help a giggle. She opened her mouth to say _I'd like that_, but was interrupted before she could.

"Angela! Come meet Luke. Luke, this is my twin sister Angela. Angela, this is my good friend Luke."

Angela ventured over, the giggle from before dying down on her lips. All the same, she offered him a smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too! Wow, twins? You two don't look anything alike!"

"That's because we're non-identical twins, you dumbo." Molly affectionately punched his arm. "And, of course, Luke, you know Wizard." They both turned to look at the pale haired man, but somehow, during that short time, he'd left.

Angela ignored the sinking feeling in her chest as Molly said, "Oh. He must have left. Well, he's busy a lot, so I'm not surprised."

"Well, I know who he is, so that's fine." Luke grinned. "Hey, do you want to see my new workroom? Dad allowed me to upgrade it because he said I was doing well. Angela, you can come too, if you like!"

Molly glanced back at Angela, cocking her head. "What do you think?"

"Oh, well-," Angela swallowed. She wasn't the most comfortable with going to a stranger's house when she'd just met him, but Molly knew and liked him, and it wasn't like Angela had anything else to do, anyway. "All right."

"Awesome!" Luke flipped his axe into his hand (Angela and Molly both flinched) and grinned. "I'll lead the way!"

"I do know how to get to your house, you know," Molly said, as he set off. They had to hurry to catch up with him.

"I know, but I feel better as the leader." Luke gave a thumbs up and a wider smile. "So, Angela, tell me about yourself..."

"Oh, I'm a writer." _I write about people with shitty lives so I can feel better about myself._ People liked her stories, but if she was honest, she didn't, personally. She knew they were just a way to vent her anger, her sorrow. But no one could tell.

There was only one person who would have been able to.

But he was dead.

And now she was alone.

* * *

_[[Blah, sorry, kind of a boring chapter! Hope you liked it enough to stay on, though, haha. I'm not going to say what 'Island' it is just yet, but you may be able to tell by my next few sentences._

_Angela was friends with Witch's (Vivi's) cousin before Witch. This cousin is, in fact, the Witch Princess. I don't think they're related in the actual Harvest Moon games, but it made sense to me, so...]]_


	4. Chapter 4: Shattered Walls

_[[Thank you for the reviews, oh-beautiful guests! And, of course, tolkienlover ;D you are beautiful too. Your words make me happy ;-;_

_I see you're all Wizard/Angela (or Molly) shippers! That is good. I am too. I'm also a Chase/Angela shipper, though..._

_Well, we'll see how the story pans out. I'm ashamed to admit I don't actually have a planned out plot line... D: Meh. It should go well, regardless... maybe...]]_

* * *

Approximately five minutes into their walk, Angela figured that Luke was in love with Molly.

Which was quite sad, actually. Like a tearful romantic novel. The kind she'd write.

Angela studied the blue-haired boy quietly as he rambled on about his latest project. Something about making a nice wooden horse. She wasn't sure.

It wasn't hard to see the sparks in Luke's eyes when he looked at Molly, nor the way he smiled at anything and everything she said. Poor boy. She understood his feelings; she'd felt that way once before, too.

Difference was, the boy finally noticed her. Angela doubted Molly would notice Luke, and even if she did...

Well, the ring on her finger was enough to remind them that it was too late.

But still, Luke was nice company. He was cheerful and told jokes (admittedly quite bad ones, but all the same), and generally just seemed like a good person. Perhaps not the kind that Angela herself would be good friends with, but possibly still just friends.

"Hey, did you know? Owen was in the mines the other day and found something really cool! There was like this weird red bell and it was on fire?"

Angela didn't miss the odd look that passed over Molly's face at the mention of the red bell. Before she could interpret it, however, Molly asked, "On fire?"

"That's right! And there were these weird glowing symbols around it."

"He didn't try to... pick it up, or anything, did he?" There was alarm and intrigue in Molly's voice, but it wasn't hard for Angela to figure out that the alarm wasn't for the boy, but rather something else.

"Nope! He just left it there. Refuses to go back. For such a huge guy, he sure can be a wimp sometimes." Luke grinned. "Kathy said she went in the other day to take a look but there wasn't anything there."

Molly rolled his eyes. "He was probably just lying. But hey, why don't we go check it out?"

"That's a great idea! I've got nothing to do, anyways." He glanced at the two of them. "Are you both free today?"

Molly considered, slinging an arm through Angela, who smiled. "I think so! We might go to Candace's to get a fitting for Angela, but that can wait." Molly grinned, leaning slightly on her sister's shoulder. "If you're okay with that, Angela."

"Sure." Giving a nod, Angela contemplated the idea of exploring the mines. A fiery bell seemed rather far-fetched, but it couldn't hurt to take a look around.

They were in town, now, having finally left the Forest. They were into the afternoon now, and suddenly Angela felt hungry. She glanced around at the various shops, and sheepishly asked, "Can we get something to eat first, though?"

"Good idea!" Luke beamed, swinging his axe. Both sisters winced. "Anyway, if we were to head to the mine now, we'd have to double back. Do you guys want to come to mine?"

Molly opened her mouth (Angela assumed she was going to accept) before she paused and gasped. "Oh, my God! I'm so sorry, Luke, I promised I'd make lunch for Gill!" She threw her sister an apologetic look. "Sorry, Angela!"

"No, no, it's perfectly all right." Angela grinned, pretending she hadn't seen the look of sadness that crossed Luke's face. Knowing Molly, she probably hadn't seen anyway. "Go spend time with your fiancé."

"I insist that you eat with us." Molly smiled. "It'd be a good time for you and Gill to get to know each other."

"I haven't had your cooking in ages... I think I'll take you up on that offer," Angela mused. Her sister's cooking was legendary. She almost sighed just thinking about it.

Molly giggled, and glanced at her blue-haired friend. "If you like, you can come with!" She grinned.

_Oh, dear, oblivious Molly_, Angela thought, sighing inwardly. She glanced at Luke (who had very imperceptibly winced) and felt for him when he shook his head and offered a smile. "It's all right, Molly. I have stuff to attend to, anyway."

"If you're sure..." Molly pursed her lips. "Afterwards, we'll meet you at yours, and then we'll go check out the mine together! Okay?"

"Sounds good!" Luke gave a wave and a wide smile and jogged off, his axe swinging dangerously from his hip. "See you later!"

They both waved in return (Angela's was an awkward, half-wave) and made their way to Molly's farm. "This is a good idea." Molly nodded. "This way, I can show you my farm _and _get you to like Gill!"

Angela began to laugh. "Two birds with one stone, am I right?" she teased.

"Precisely!"

"I don't not like your husband-to-be, anyway. He was all right, yesterday."

"That's the problem." Molly pointed an accusatory finger at her sister. "You need to think he's amazing. Like I do!"

"If I thought he was amazing as you think he is, I'd attempt to marry him instead." Angela raised an eyebrow, and the other twin paused.

"Good point._ Almost _as amazing as I think he is." She winked, and finally they were there, on Molly's famous farm.

It was, in fact, famous. Well, not exactly. It was the kind of farm you'd hear people talking about in the background: _hey, did you hear that some girl on a foreign island became a farmer and made the whole island rich? Rumour is she also brought the Harvest Goddess back to life! Can you believe that?_

Admittedly, Angela wouldn't have, if she hadn't known that Molly had in fact done those things. When Angela had first been told that the Harvest Goddess was real (_"She recruited me to save her, Angela!"_), she hadn't exactly been believing. However, she knew that Molly was not one who'd lie for the fame, and eventually grew to believe her sister.

Angela didn't doubt that her sister had brought this island back to life. No, not for a second.

She was still thinking about this when several loud barks interrupted her. She looked down in surprised to see multiple dogs coming towards them, their tails excitedly wagging. They jumped Molly, who laughed aloud and bent to pet them. Angela raised her eyebrows as they licked her face, her arms; anywhere, basically.

"They love her a lot," a familiar voice commented. Gill appeared beside her, looking rather amused at the display. "Every afternoon when she comes home, they attack her like this."

"'Attack' is most certainly the correct word." Quite entertained, Angela watched, and didn't notice when another person appeared beside her.

"Can't be," Chase said. "They have no antagonism."

Angela stiffened, ignored the flash of pain that went through her at the sight of him. She said, coldly, "'Attack' doesn't necessarily mean there is antagonism. It could just mean aggressive. That's most certainly aggressive."

"'Aggressive' implies antagonism," Chase countered, turning to face her. His violet eyes, too, were frozen. He regarded her with a smirk on his face. She stared impassively back.

"Not necessarily. It could mean 'with force'-"

"All right, that's enough." Gill raised his eyebrows and stepped slightly in between them. He pushed the pale haired man back. "Chase, stop being a dick."

"Tut tut tut." Chase's smirk widened. "Is that suitable language for the mayor's son?"

"How does anyone enjoy being in your presence?" Angela asked, rolling her eyes. "You're just the most terrible company ever."

He mocked a bow, his purple eyes narrowing. Something in her felt sick at the image. "It's my pleasure to be such a-"

"Chase! Stop it." Molly glared fiercely, coming to stand beside them, holding a (rather large) dog in her arms. _She must have become really strong, with all that farm work,_ Angela thought, smiling at the sight. "Honestly. There's no need to be rude."

"I don't know, it feels rather required for me-"

Molly stomped on Chase's foot. Angela felt a savage satisfaction at seeing the man's face twist in pain and seeing him stumble back; she couldn't resist a smirk as he scowled. "Molly, that's called violence. It's frowned upon in most communities."

"Only when it's used on nice people." Molly grinned slightly, and bent to place her dog down. He (was he a male?) barked once, twice, before speeding off.

"And you!" Chase pointed at Angela, who rolled her eyes. "Finding pleasure in others' pain! How horrific. _You're_ terrible company."

Twisting her lips into a wider smirk, she bowed. "It's my pleasure," she said, mimicking his words from earlier. His scowl deepened, and he turned to Molly.

"Your sister's a bitc-"

"Don't even say it," Angela said sweetly. "I'm pretty good with knives, you know."

Not even a lie. After her... incident, she'd become acquainted with self-defense.

Molly laughed nervously, sensing the rising antagonism between her sister and her friend. "All right, let's just... go inside the house, shall we? I've no desire for anyone to die right now."

"You're not the only one," Gill muttered. Angela shot Chase the coldest look she could manage before following Molly into her house. She admired the beauty of her sister's cottage; it was most certainly looked like a nice place to live.

An 'ow!' came from behind her. Refusing to turn around, Angela ignored it but couldn't help but hear Gill hissing at Chase. She couldn't quite make out the words, but she assumed that he was scolding his friend. She smiled at the thought.

A cat greeted her with a 'meow' when she entered the house. Startled, Angela glanced at it. Not only did Molly have multiple dogs, but a cat too? No, make that _three _cats. Was it even _legal_ to have that many pets? And she had a farm full of animals too! _That's just like Molly_, Angela thought fondly. _Always going to the extreme._

She sat herself on the sofa, watching as her sister began to prepare their lunch. "Would you like some help?" she offered. She wasn't the best in the kitchen, but she wasn't terrible either.

"No, no, it's perfectly fine!" Molly grinned, turning to face her. Angela watched with something like alarm and amusement as she brandished the small knife. "Gill usually helps me, but he's a bit... preoccupied right now."

Angela followed her sister's gaze to the doorway, where the fiancé and the friend were staring at each other, exchanging words. One had a pissed off look on his face (the husband-to-be) and the other something of an apologetic expression (the friend). Angela couldn't help the surprise that she felt; the people she had known who'd had personalities like Chase had never, ever been sorry.

Never.

She swallowed, hard. There it was again; the painful memories pushing so hard at the wall she'd worked so hard to build around them. _It was _his _fault, _she thought, taking a shuddering breath as she glanced at the handsome violet-eyed man. _Otherwise this wouldn't be happening._

Crack.

The wall she held so tightly around her mind was beginning to break. She shot up from her seat, again faced with the feeling of suffocation. Except this time she needed to get the air out. She needed them out. The memories.

"Angela? Are you all right?" Molly darted to her sister, taking her hands in her own, her expression worried.

"F-Fine," she gasped, clutching at her chest.

"Is she all right?" Gill asked, stepping inside.

"Having a heart attack at such a young age is a rather impressive feat," Chase said.

And then it broke.

That dam that she made crumbled into dust, into nothing.

"I-I need s-some air," Angela stumbled forwards, wrenching her arm out her sister's. "S-Sorry!"

She pushed her way through the two men, shoving the purple-eyed one aside more roughly than the other.

She ran. She ran through the fields, tripping a few times, unconsciously making her way towards the woodlands nearby. She felt weak. Broken. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she drew in ragged breaths.

_Why am I crying?_ she screamed at herself. _Why? It's been three years! I should be over him by now. I should be over this..._

She found herself by a shimmering blue pond with a large, beautiful tree sprawling over it. Nearby there was a tall mountain. But she didn't see any of that. She only saw _him._

Pale-haired, violet-eyed, beautiful. The one she'd loved.

Damn it, she thought she was done with this! She'd mourned for so long, and so hard...

Perhaps she was being punished, because she had moved on. Perhaps she was being punished for what she had done.

She'd never forget that night, even though she only remembered it in flashes. The confusion, the alarm and panic and horror that had overwhelmed her. The fear and the terror and the hatred that she had felt. The unbelievable, crushing pain. Not physical. Emotional. It had destroyed her.

No one had come to save her. No one had saved _him. _And by then, it was too late for her love. She could only save herself.

It had been an accident. Sobs racked her body as she buried her face in her arms. She'd never do anything like that on purpose, never. It had been an accident.

It had been an accident, when she'd killed someone.

* * *

_[[Ouch. Poor Angela. Chase is a jerk, isn't he? No wonder you're all Wizard/Angela (or Molly) shippers~_

_Who did she kill?_

_Now, that would be telling. I meant to make this longer, but it came out this way instead and I think I like it. Have some angst, friends._

_Hope you liked this chapter... :')]]_


	5. Chapter 5: Memories, Mourning, Murder

"Is... Is Angela all right?"

The three friends stared in the direction that the sister had fled. Molly clutched the knife in her hand, filled with worry. Angela had said that she was doing better...

With a glance at the two men in the room, Molly suddenly knew why it was happening again. It wasn't Chase's fault, he didn't know, but he just looked too much like Angela's old boyfriend.

"She'll be fine," Molly said, turning back to the vegetables before her. She pushed her trembling hands against the counter. She didn't say, _but it might take a while._

She lifted the knife, before sighing and placing it on the chopping board. She just didn't have the energy any more.

"What's with her, anyway?" Chase asked. He came a leaned on the tabletop beside Molly, raising a curious eyebrow. Molly glanced at her friend and did a double take at the look she saw in his eyes. Was that... guilt?

"Oh, it's nothing."

At her fiancé's and her best friend's disbelieving looks, she sighed again. Offering a small smile, she said, "It's not really my story to tell."

"Is this related to what happened yesterday? When she saw me?" The violet-eyed man frowned, running a hand through his hair, disarranging his clips.

"...A little."

Chase scowled. "That's not helpful, Molly-"

"Just let it alone, Chase," Gill said. Molly gave him a grateful grin. "It's not any of your business, anyway."

"Don't tell me you're not even curious-!" exclaimed Chase, but the pair shot him irritated looks. He sighed. "Fine. Whatever. God, you two are annoying as a couple."

Molly giggled as Gill laced arms around her waist, kissing the spot under her ear. Warmth filled her as Chase winced.

"That's disgusting. Please don't do that in front of me. Ever." He made a face, and Molly made one back.

"You're just jealous because you're not in a relationship," she half-sang, putting on a smile even though she was still thinking about Angela. She remembered being jealous of Angela's relationship, once. It wasn't hard to be jealous of one like hers. But all the same, she'd been happy for her...

"Please. As if I'd like to be in some sappy romance." Chase rolled his eyes.

Molly felt Gill smirk against her neck. "Oh? And what about Maya?"

The faintest of blushes made their way onto their friend's cheeks. "That was before," he snapped. "I don't like her any more."

Molly giggled again, both in response to his claim and the fact that Gill kissed her neck.

"Stop! Seriously, just can't you keep your hands off each other for five seconds?" Chase glared, half-shielding his face mockingly.

"It's been almost five hours," Gill muttered. "So the answer is yes." He kissed her again, just below the same spot. Tingles ran up and down her spine, and Molly almost abandoned herself to the feeling, when she remembered her sister.

"Later, Gill." She laughed, pushing him away. He pouted but nodded.

"Thank fuck. Seriously, just, don't do that in my presence." Chase shook his head, exasperated, and moved away to sit on the couch. "I have to go to work in a few hours... Are we going to have lunch, or what?"

Molly hesitated, glancing at her fiancé. He looked solemnly back at her. "I think we should wait for her," he said.

She nodded in agreement. "I do, too."

Chase threw up his hands. "Are you for real? Who knows how long Angela'll be? I'm hungry now. I think I'll just get lunch somewhere else."

"Chase-," Molly began, scowling at the man, but he was already at the door.

"Let the dickface go," Gill said, rolling his eyes. "We don't want your company either!" he yelled after his friend.

Chase flipped them off as he left, banging the door shut.

"Sometimes I really wonder," Molly mused. "I can't decide whether he enjoys being a jerk or whether it's just a defense."

"I always wonder about Chase," Gill said, and tugged her towards the couch. "We'll wait for your sister, Molly."

"Chase was right, though. She might be a long time..." Molly hesitantly followed him, and suddenly she realised that Chase had used Angela's name before. Chase didn't usually remember a name...

"Don't listen to that asshole. We'll wait." Gill pulled Molly into his arms, nuzzling his face into the curve of her shoulder. She blushed, unable to stop the heat spilling into her cheeks.

"You're the best, Gill," she murmured to his ear. He grinned against her skin.

"I know."

* * *

Chase shoved his hands into his pockets as he made his way back to town, scowling. Gill had asked him over, and he'd come, even though he'd planned on having lunch with Yolanda (and Maya). He was a good person for cancelling highly-anticipated lunch plans!

All right, so he was exaggerating a little. The lunches weren't that highly-anticipated (it was a biweekly occurrence) and he had come because he was interested in seeing _her_ again.

Angela.

There was something about her that intrigued him. It wasn't her beauty (though she was certainly as pretty as Molly, who'd had half the bachelors in love with her when she'd first moved there), nor her sharp, quick wit (though that had something to do with it). No, it was her eyes. He could see himself in them.

Not literally.

There was a storm of emotions behind those rust-brown eyes, and most of them Chase could relate to. He didn't miss the buried sorrow and longing behind those irises, nor the pain etched so deep that she'd probably forgotten it.

He knew those feelings. He knew them.

Suddenly, he realised he hadn't been walking towards town. He looked up, frowning, and found himself in a small woodland area. Where was he?

He spun a few times before finally recognising his surroundings; he was in that area that was situated right before the Goddess Pond. _How _had he ended up in here?

Shaking his head, he turned to leave, but he saw a flash of brown hair and a bright white shirt. He blinked, taking a few steps closer...

Angela was there, sitting by the pond, curled in on herself.

Something painful rushed through Chase at the sight; he'd seen this before. It had happened to him, too.

He stood there, a hand on a tree, hesitantly looking towards her. So far, she had only shown coldness towards him, but that was probably his own fault for being a 'dickface', as Gill had called him. Would she appreciate the gesture if he made his way towards her?

_I know how she feels. It would be wrong to leave her_, he told himself, his feet taking him towards the crying girl. He raked a hand through his hair, feeling his pulse quicken. She had seen someone familiar in him, and somehow he saw the same in her.

But he wasn't a people person. He had the dreadful feeling that this meeting would go terribly wrong.

She raised her head at the sound of his footsteps, and he cleared his throat, somewhat nervously. _Nervous? Since when have you been nervous, Chase?_ He shook his head at himself inwardly.

"Are you all right?" he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets, coming to stand beside her. Her whole body flinched before a frozen expression came over her face.

"Fine," she said, harshly, before biting her lip and looking away. He wasn't offended in the least, but made sure to sit down at least a metre away.

He was silent for a few moments (Molly often teased him about his ability - or lack thereof - to not say something sarcastic for at least a minute, but it _was_ possible!), readjusting the clips in his hair awkwardly before he said, "Is it my fault?"

She snapped around to look at him. "Don't be so conceited," she hissed, wiping wet from her cheeks. Her eyes were rimmed red, her lips quivering slightly. Chase felt something ache inside him at the sight.

"No, it's just that... you said I reminded you of someone. And clearly that's causing you pain." He picked at the blades of grass, feeling... _shy?_ He'd not felt that way for quite a while.

"It doesn't matter." She buried her face into her arms again, her legs pulling up to her chest. Her next few words came out muffled. "It's long past, anyway."

"That doesn't mean it doesn't matter," he told her, and she stiffened.

"Are you _determined_ to argue with me?" she asked, pulling herself into a tighter ball.

_Damn it, Chase, you're terrible at this._ "That's not what I meant," he said quietly. "I just meant that just because it's in the past doesn't mean it no longer means anything. I know I've held onto something that happened in the past."

"Probably some petty ass grudge," she muttered.

Chase sighed, shaking his head. This was pointless. Why had he decided to do this? She didn't seem to want his help.

He stood to leave, raking his hair back, but then she said, "Wait." She raised her tear streaked face to his, her lips pulled upwards in a sad smile. "I don't think I want to be alone, even if it means I'm with you. Will you... Will you keep me company?"

Chase raised his eyebrows but merely nodded, once again sitting, but this time slightly closer. Angela sniffed, pressing a hand to her left eye. "What... What are you holding onto?"

Chase studied her silently. Could he tell her this? Did she really care?

"You don't have to, if you don't want to-"

"It's okay." He took a deep breath, offering a broken smile. "Two of my brothers died a few years ago. It wasn't a pleasant death for either of them."

Silence. And then: "I'm sorry." Angela edged closer, brushing strands of brown hair away from her face. "My tragedy involves a guy, too. My boyfriend, actually. He was murdered." She looked out towards the Goddess Tree, a bitter smile on her face. "He was going to propose to me."

They sat in silence once again. "It's strange, you know, to tell things to a stranger I don't even like," Angela said, finally. "But I think you understand what I'm going through."

He nodded. "I do. I think I do. My brothers... they were killed too." A twisted smile came upon his face. "I know you'll probably think I'm crazy for saying this, but one of them deserved it."

"It's okay," she said quietly. "I understand." She brushed away another tear, and he watched her expression change from something broken to something with a small smile. But it was bitter. "I killed someone, once."

The words didn't fully process in his mind. "You wanted to?" he asked, puzzled. But she shook her head.

"I can't believe I'm telling you this," she murmured. "This is unrealistic. Spilling my secrets to some asshole I just met..."

"Hey!" Chase protested lightly, but his mind was still buzzing with her previous words.

"Well, you are an ass. Don't even deny it."

"_Sometimes_ I'm an ass." Chase gave a smile, lying back on the grass. He admired the bright sky for a moment, before the brightness became too much. He moved his hand to block the light-

"It was an accident. When I killed that person, I mean."

His hand froze in place, and he took a deep breath.

"God, you'll probably run away from me now, or report me to the police, or something. But I've already gone through a court. They let me out."

Chase sat up, slowly. He looked at Angela, really looked at her. The emotion he'd seen in her eyes had faded into something crippled, something broken. "Why?" he asked, in a rush of breath.

"Because I killed the man who murdered my love and who would've murdered me." She laughed, humourlessly. "Karma. And now you've arrived, wearing the face of the man I thought I'd never see again-"

"Wait." Suddenly, the world spun before Chase's eyes. He felt dizzy, sick. Not because he was scared of Angela, or sickened by her, but because he knew this story. He knew it. "The man you killed... and the one you loved... Were they brothers?"

Silence. "How... did you know?" she asked, lowly.

"_Shit!_" Chase leapt to his feet, emotion crashing through him, making him stumble. "You're _her_. Angela. Vaughn's girlfriend. Shit_. Shit._"

His brother had spoken about her. _I've found her!_ Vaughn had told him over the phone. _The one I think I want to marry. I love her, Chase. I really do._

Angela raised her head slowly, her eyes wide with shock. "What?"

"My... My brother..." Chase clutched his hands to his chest, gasping. He needed air. He needed it. This was so fucking unrealistic. Was this really happening to him? Why was this-

_Why_?

"You're... Are you Vaughn's brother?" Angela, too, scrambled to her feet. "Oh, my God." She ran her hands through her hair, looking devastated. "Shit. I'm sorry, Chase, I'm really sorry-"

Chase put out a hand to stop her. He focused on his breathing: _in, out... in, out._

"I need... I think we need time to think about this," he said, and fled.

Fled like the coward he was.

* * *

This was unbelievable.

Angela stared in the direction Chase had gone, her heart shaken, her pulse racing. This was just not possible. Things like this didn't happen.

She wasn't supposed to meet the brother of the man she'd killed.

She wasn't supposed to meet the brother of the man she'd loved.

She felt weak, suddenly, and dropped to her knees, clutching her shirt tightly.

She was a murderer.

She'd killed.

It didn't matter that it was self-defense.

And now she'd met someone who'd likely want her dead for what she'd done, too.

Despite all of this, there was one undeniable emotion that she felt.

_Relief._

Finally, she knew why Chase looked so much like the one she'd loved. Brothers... More like twins.

Angela choked back the rising sob in her throat, and rose shakily to her feet. She took a few steps away from the pond, before she had to sit down again. Despair, crushing and painful came over her. She took a deep, shuddering breath.

"Angela... Are you... all right?"

_Wizard._

She wiped away her tears hurriedly and turned to face the silver-haired man, who had somehow appeared behind her without making a single sound. She smiled, brokenly. "Hi."

Alarm filtered onto Wizard's face, and he stepped forwards, kneeling beside her. He took her shaking hands in his, staring intently at her. "What's... wrong...?"

"I-." She shuddered. "I've done something terrible, Wizard... And now it's come back to haunt me."

Wizard said nothing in response. Instead, he paused, leaned forwards, and gathered her into an awkward hug. She froze, her skin thrumming in both surprise and something else.

"I... don't know what... happened... But I should... like to offer... any... comfort..." He stroked her hair (still rather awkwardly).

_Oh, God. I'm holding onto a guy I've just met. And he's really good looking. And he's nice._ She smiled, her eyes watering again, tears spilling again. She put her arms around his waist, and cried harder.

She cried for Vaughn, the only one she'd ever loved like that. She cried for his damned brother, and she cried for Chase, because she'd taken away someone precious to him. Even if the brother had deserved it, even if he had committed fratricide.

She cried for the years she'd felt alone, and the years she'd felt like someone not worth being.

Eventually, she fell asleep in comforting arms that reminded her of the stars.

* * *

Wizard carried Angela silently to the farm across from the Goddess Pond. They were quite well into the afternoon now; it was about three pm. Wizard usually wouldn't be out at this time, but _she'd_ called him...

The Harvest Goddess.

He'd been reading a novel in his room. Usually, he wasn't interested in that sort of book, but he'd heard that Angela was a writer, and had subsequently been curious enough to take a look. That was when the Goddess had contacted him. Told him that Angela was there. And that she was suffering.

He'd left quite soon after that, and found her there, broken.

"Angela?"

The door swung open and Molly came racing out, her eyes wide with horror. "Oh, my Goddess! Is she okay? Wizard! What happened?"

Her fiancé followed shortly after her, and they gathered around Wizard, who felt distinctly uncomfortable. "She... was by the Goddess... Pond... She's all right... physically... but I think... she's in pain... emotionally..."

Clearing his throat, he made his way into Molly's house, placing the girl in his arms gently onto the sofa. She had been no burden to him and felt no relief as he set her down. In fact, if anything, he felt horror at having to leave such a devastated girl behind.

"It's been ages since she's been like this," Molly murmured. Worry filled the farmer's eyes, and Wizard stood silently beside the seat as he watched the sleeping twin breathe. "We thought... We thought she was done mourning."

_It's not my place to ask_, Wizard told himself, staring down at the girl before him. She looked beautiful, even in sleep. Even when broken. _I cannot ask._

"She's been fine for several years, now... but I think seeing Chase brought it back."

Chase?

The sarcastic cook who worked in the Brass Bar?

Wizard considered this quietly. Perhaps it had something to do with what they'd said about Angela's boyfriend earlier this morning-

_Stop_, he scolded himself. _That's enough. It is not any of your business._

"Thank you, Wizard," Gill said. Wizard looked up at the mayor's son, who offered him a smile. They'd never really gotten to know each other, despite knowing _of_ each other, until Molly came.

"I hope... she... recovers soon..." He gave them each a nod, and slowly left. He could hear Molly speaking quietly to Gill as he left. He could hear the worry and panic in her voice.

He was desperate to know what had occurred. And he hated himself for being so. What was it about this girl that was so intriguing to him? Why did he care so much?

His white Mark burned underneath his eye, and he exhaled slowly, letting the feelings out. Ever since Molly had come to Castanet, things had become chaos.

And Angela? She had stirred things up, too. Not quite as many things as Molly had when she'd first arrived, but Wizard knew Witch was shaken up, knew the daughter of the bartender of Brass Bar and the cook there, Chase, had been left wondering. Even Molly and her fiancé.

He thought again of the pretty face of the island's saviour's sister, and couldn't avoid the fact that his pulse jumped at the thought of her. He'd not felt this way in several decades... even centuries...

He looked back towards the farm, brushed his fingers against his Mark, and left to finish the book that Angela had written so wonderfully.

* * *

_[[Damn, that was a long chapter!_

_Four different points of view, wow. This chapter sure was busy... But I hope you all liked it._

_Yes, Vaughn is the boy that Angela fell in love with. He's going to be out of character though, in this story; he's not gonna be the brooding cowboy that everyone knows and loves from Sunshine Islands and Island of Happiness. He'll be a lot nicer. __The other brother will probably just be a random person... I'm pretty sure the only other character in the Harvest Moon franchise with violet eyes is Jill, from Harvest Moon DS Cute. Correct me if I'm wrong, though!_

_Wow, emotional chapter. I don't think I've quite got the hang of it yet, but I think I'm improving. Maybe?_

_Note: probably won't usually update this quickly. I felt the writing muse coming on, though xD_

_Till next time~]]_


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